Guides
Image search techniques, applied
The image search techniques overview covers the six core techniques. These guides go deeper on specific situations — who's using each technique, why, and in what order.
By use case
Who's using image search techniques, and in what order they reach for them.
Image Search Techniques for Photographers
How to use reverse image search, metadata, and watermarking to find out where your photos have been reused — and what to do about it.
Image Search Techniques for OSINT & Investigators
A verification workflow for dating, geolocating, and cross-checking a photo using metadata, reverse search, and manual analysis.
Image Search Techniques for Online Shopping
How to find a product from a photo when you don't know a brand, model number, or the right search terms.
Concepts & background
How the underlying techniques work, and what they mean for your privacy.
AI Visual Search Explained
What's actually happening when an app finds 'visually similar' results — embeddings, vector similarity, and how it differs from classic reverse image search.
Image Search Privacy & Metadata
What image search techniques can reveal about you and your photos, and practical steps to limit it.
The History of Image Search
How image search evolved from keyword tags to pixel-based reverse search to AI embeddings.